


Adopted by SNL

by INeedAMentalSoapbar



Category: Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live RPF
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Family, Fluff, Love, NYC, Piano, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-07-25 20:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20032204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/INeedAMentalSoapbar/pseuds/INeedAMentalSoapbar
Summary: Chloe has a terrible life. When she walks in on Kate McKinnon playing on the piano, will it change?





	1. Hallelujah

“Chloe!! Come here you worthless shit!!”

I heard Christopher yell at me from across the house. I sighed, wishing beyond reason that these past 3 years were just a dream that I would wake up from any minute.

“Chloe! Get your ass in here!!”

I sighed, getting up. Waiting wasn’t going to get me anything but more bruises.

“Yes sir?” I asked, trying to be polite. He was my fourth foster father in a year, and by far the worst. He drank constantly, and rarely bathed. He didn’t have a job, instead he spent his days playing video games and talking to his friends through his head set. We were living off of the funds the government sent to take care of me, and naturally, most of the money was used for his beer or cigarettes. The apartment was constantly dirty, despite how often I was forced to clean it. He used to be in the military, which made him think that he was so much better than anybody who would possibly take care of me. And I guess he was right. I mean, he’s the one I got, right?

“I’m out of beer. Go get me more.” He snapped, holding up a twenty dollar bill. I moved to take the money. He punched me in the face, causing me to stagger back.

“Yes sir.” I said, managing to take the money and dodge a second blow. I went back to my room, where I threw on my shoes and hoodie. It was the middle of summer, but I didn’t want the bruises on my arms to show.

I headed out into Manhattan. No matter how many times I walked through Manhattan, I never stopped enjoying how alive it was. It was one of the only things I actually looked forward too.

I walked by Rockefeller Center. I heard a piano being played, my favorite song, in fact, but I kept walking. Christopher was already going to beat me, and I didn’t need to make it worse. I went to the market where I always got his beer, and bought it. Despite the fact that I’m sixteen, and probably look fourteen because of how skinny and short I am, the cashier doesn’t ask for my ID.

I head out, turning in the direction of the apartment. I passed Rockefeller Center again, and hear the piano. I’m drawn in, wanting to get closer. I eventually founded the source of the music. It was a piano on the second floor, being played by a blond woman. She seemed entranced by the music, as if she was just watching it pour out of her hands. I recognized the tune, and began singing along quietly.

“Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
But baby I've been here before  
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor  
You know, I used to live alone before I knew ya  
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch  
And love is not a victory march  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah”

She looked at me, seeming more than a little confused to see me there. I gave her a minuscule smile and continued singing.

“Maybe there's a God above  
But all I've ever learned from love  
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya  
And it's not a cry that you hear at night  
It's not somebody who's seen the light  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah”

I trailed off, turning to leave. I had tears dripping down my face, but I just wiped them off as I walked away. Tears are weakness, I reminded myself.

“Hey!!” I heard a voice behind me.

I turned around, more startled than obedient, and saw the woman gesturing for me to come back. I took a couple hesitant step forward, stopping well before I reached her.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. She raised her eyebrow, clearly not believing me.

“You sure? You have a black eye. Plus your wearing a hoodie in the middle of the summer.”

“I, uh, tripped on a rock, and uh, hit my eye. That’s all. Bye.” I turned, ignoring the shouts of protest I got from the woman.

When I finally got back to the apartment, Christopher was waiting for me. He pointed to the couch, where I assumed first position, laying on the stomach, hands above the head, ankles crossed. He beat me, not caring when I began to scream and beg. He simply told me to roll over and did the same to the front. He told me to go make dinner, which I quickly scrambled up to do. A PB and J for me, spaghetti with meatballs for him. I was dismissed to my room, where I ate my sandwich, trying to will the tears away. When that didn’t work, I grabbed my pillow to muffle the sounds, and began to sob.

I cried myself to sleep, hugging my pillow and wishing for a better life.


	2. The Girl

Kate’s POV

I was playing piano when I heard a small voice singing along. I turned around, expecting a fellow cast member. Instead, I saw a small girl, carrying a bag of something, what I couldn’t quite tell. She gave me a small smile and continued to sing. I turned back to the piano. She had a nice voice. If she wasn’t singing so quietly I would have assumed she was in her school’s choir, or took voice lessons. I repeated the ending, wanting her to continue. When I didn’t hear her voice anymore, I turned back toward her. She was already walking away.

“Hey!!” I shouted, hoping for the girl to turn around. She did, and I gestured for her to come closer. She stopped in a patch of sunlight, the only lighting in the room, as I couldn’t be bothered to flick the switch on the way in. I saw that she had a black eye. She was wearing a blue hoodie, covering bruised arms that I could see poking out of the too small sleeves, and shorts that were ill fitting. They were tattered, too small and tight, and stained. She was wearing ratty, off brand sneakers. She obviously didn’t come from a household with a lot of money.

“Are you okay?” I asked, not knowing what I was going to do if she said no. She nodded, choosing not to say anything. She seemed scared, as if she thought I was going to hit her at any minute.

“You sure? You have a black eye. Plus your wearing a hoodie in the middle of the summer.” I raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to deny it. I chose to pretend I couldn’t see the other bruises.

“I, uh, tripped on a rock, and uh, hit my eye. That’s all. Bye.” She turned, and hurried away. I shouted after her, but she ignored me.

Who was that girl? And why did I feel compelled to help her? I see homeless people all the time. Sure, I feel bad, and often give them some money, I never felt concerned about them, just guilty that I had so much and they had to little.

I couldn’t get my mind off her for the rest of the day. I talked to Leslie about it, but she thought I was just imagining her. I asked her why I would imagine that out of everything, and she said “I don’t know! White girls are crazy, honey.”

I walked in for the run through. Colin tapped me on the shoulder, making a concerned face at me. I shook my head and mouthed “later”. He nodded, still looking concerned. I sat down in my chair and made small talk with some other cast members.

I made it through the read through, missing my cues a couple times, but just blaming it on exhaustion. It technically wasn’t lying, I was exhausted. At the end, I went to Colin’s office where he and Michael were cuddling on he couch. Michael was playing with Colin’s hair, who looked like he was about to fall asleep. When he saw me enter, he smiled sleepy and sat up.

What’s ip, Kate?” Colin asked, patting the empty part of the couch. I sat down and explained to him what happened. He just nodded along, occasionally glancing up at Michael to make sure he was listening.

”You said she had a black eye?” Colin asked when I finished my story. He looked like he was remembering something. I nodded.

“I want to make sure she’s okay, but I don’t even know her name.

“You said she showed up when you were playing the piano right?” I nodded. “Then just play it again. She’s bound to come back at some point. Even if she doesn’t, at least you would have tried.”

I went home, feeling better but still unsure. I finally fell into a restless sleep, wondering what was to become if that small girl.


	3. Chlo

Kate’s POV

I spent the next weeks like normal, with one exception. Every afternoon, for three hours I would play the piano. I no longer really expected anything to happen, but I continued on because it was calming. It was a nice way to get away from the stress. No one ever told me to stop. Only Colin joined while I played.

One day, I played Hold On by Chord Overstreet. I had recently heard it, and had been touched by the lyrics. I quickly learned it on the piano, and played it at least once every day.

As I played it on the piano, I heard it. A familiar, small voice, singing along. I didn’t dare to turn to face her, instead I continued to play, staring at my fingers, as she sang.

As we continued on like this, Colin and Michael walked in quietly. Colin often visited me near the end of my three hours of playing. I guess he had managed to convince Michael to come with him.

Colin’s eyes widened when he saw the girl. He whacked Michael to tell him to be quiet. Very slowly, they moved toward the exit, trying not to disturb the peaceful look on her face. Her face was bruised again, although this looked fresh, maybe a day old. I finished the song, and she turned away like she had last time, starting toward the door. When she saw Colin and Michael, her eyes widened. She stared at them, her eyes never leaving Colin’s face. Colin offered her a small smile, looking almost apologetic, but it must have been my imagination.

Colin began to walk slowly to the girl, trying not scare her. When he finally reached her, they just continued staring at each other. Eventually Colin put his hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“Who?” Colin’s voice seemed loud against the silence, even though Kate knew he was speaking quietly. The girl shook her head, eyes beginning to tear up. Colin’s eyes hardened. “Chlo. Who did this to you?” I was shocked. Colin knew this girl? I looked over at Michael, but he looked as clueless as I felt. Who was this girl, and had she done to get Colin’s attention. I mean, he’s very kind, but he’s so busy, it can be hard to shake him out of it. How had this girl managed to do it?

The girl let out a heaving sob, falling onto Colin’s chest. He held her, whispering in her ear. They stayed like that for a long time. Michael and I both averted our eyes, sensing this was a private moment. We opted for looking at each other with looks of confusion, trying not to future the pair. The girl, Chlo, stopped sobbing. Colin was still whispering in her ear. Finally, Michael spoke up.

“I hate to say this, but we have a writers meeting in five minutes.” His voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. Colin nodded, pulling away from the girl.

“Chlo, will you stay in my office? I promise I’ll come right back.” They shared a silent conversation. Colin offered another small smile. “Fair enough. Let’s go.” At that, he and Chlo, left the room. “You coming, babe?” Colin shouted over his shoulder. Michael simply shrugged and walked away to join his boyfriend. I sat on the piano bench, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.


	4. The Story

Colin POV

I walked into the room, talking quietly to Michael. I had visited Kate a few times before, and Michael decided he was bored and followed me.

When we got in the room, Kate was playing a song I vaguely recognized, which is usually the way it worked. I never claimed to be a music expert. However, there was something different about the situation. There was a girl, probably fifteen or sixteen, singing along. I whacked Michael, getting him to shut up. I looked at him and gestured with my head toward the exit. He nodded and we began to head over there, trying to make sure the girl would have to at the very least identify herself.

She finished singing and turned to face the exit. That’s when I first saw her face. We stared at each other for a long time, drinking in each other’s features. She’d changed so much, and yet she still seemed like the girl I knew.

I walked slowly towards her. When I reached her, I could see she had bruises all over her body, the most obvious and recent being the shiner over her left eye.

“Who?” I asked quietly, trying not to let the anger I was feeling show in my voice. She shook her head, but her eyes began to tear up. It made me so sad to see her in distress, but I hardened my face so that she couldn’t tell. I needed to know who did this. “Chlo. Who did this to you?” She fell into my chest, beginning to sob. I couldn’t blame her, after all she must have gone through. I felt eyes on me and her, but couldn’t bring myself to care. I whispered the same thing over and over in her ear, trying to comfort her. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe now.”

We stayed like that for a long time, her sobs eventually slowing down and stopping, but we continued to hold on to each other.

Eventually, Michael spoke up, speaking in a voice he reserved for late nights cuddled up on the couch staring at the electric fire place. “I hate to say this, but we have a writers meeting in five minutes.”

I nodded, acknowledging that I had heard him and pulled away from the hug. I looked Chloe in the eyes. “Chlo, will you stay in my office? I promise I’ll come right back.” We stared at each other, not needing words for this particular conversation. I tried a smile, and sighed. “Fair enough. Let’s go.” 

I began walking towards the writers room Chloe beside me. We reached the hallway, and I noticed that nobody was following me. “You coming, babe?” I heard Michael’s footsteps behind me, and felt his hand in mine. He gave me a confused look, and I gave him a “we’ll talk later” look.

We got to the writers meeting, Chlo on my left and Michael on my right. Despite the fact that we barely made it on time, the room was still only halfway full. We managed to find seats together and sat down. We got a few odd looks, but nobody tried to kick her out.

After the meeting was over, we walked back to my office. Beck, Kyle, Leslie, Kate, and even Lorne joined the parade until we finally got to my office. I gestured for everyone to sit down as I leaned against the front of my desk. Everyone just squeezed onto the couch I have, except for Lorne, who found a chair, Michael who sat in my desk chair, and Chloe, who was leaning into my side.

Once everyone looked comfortable and were looking at me expectantly, I sighed, pulling Chloe closer towards me as I began my story.

“So, when I was 7, my parents had another kid. That kid was her, Chloe Scott. Yes, Scott not Jost. She fascinated me, and we quickly became inseparable. I even changed a couple diapers. I was the only one who knew how to calm her down, and how to get her to eat broccoli. Her first word was Colin. When I was thirteen, we were heading home from a Wednesday night at church. My mom had just got done with her chemo. I had begged God to save my mom from cancer, and it worked. But, apparently I shouldn’t have been so specific. On our way home, my biological parents died in a car accident. Chlo and I were in the backseat. I got a broken arm, and Chlo broke a finger. We were lucky nothing worse happened to us, according to the doctors, but I didn’t believe them. What kind of luck leaves two kids without their parents? We stayed with people from church for a while, but eventually got put in the foster care system. For awhile, we managed to stay together. Out social workers worked very hard for that. They understood we needed each other. I had panic attacks, and Chloe refused to eat, sleep, or get in a car. We went to some pretty shitty homes, but it didn’t matter because we were together.

When I was 16, Chloe got fostered by somebody who didn’t want to foster me. I’d always known it was bound to happen, I mean, who wants to foster a 16 year old? By then, we had gotten to a point where we could be separated, but we didn’t like it. Chloe didn’t want to go, but I told her that she’d be happy, and I’d try to talk to her when I could. I stayed at the foster home, got fostered a couple times, but nothing lasted long. Chloe stayed at the Brown’s, the people who were fostering her. 

I ended getting fostered by the people you guys know as my parents. They were kind, they even let me visit Chloe near the beginning. They quit taking me, I started throwing myself into school. They adopted me, and I took the last name of the family.” At this point I turned to Chlo, willing her to understand why I hadn’t put up a fight.

“I’m so sorry. I thought you had gotten adopted by that really nice couple, the Smith’s. That’s what my social worker told me. I would’ve looked for you, found some way to help. I’m so, so, so sorry. I should’ve tried to visit you, but she said that you were settled in and that me coming would disrupt. I just wanted you to be happy.

I know you don’t trust me, and honestly, I don’t blame you. I’m honestly impressed that you haven’t hit me or something. I hate myself for not checking up, even once. Your my little sister, and I practically abandoned you. I know this is all a little weird, but believe me when I say that whoever did this to you is going to pay. So. Who. Did. It.” She stared at me, obviously debating whether to tell me. I saw her resolve crumble and heard her sigh. She looked me in the eye.

“Christopher. Christopher Grant did this to me.” I nodded unable to speak through my anger. The others in the room sensed that they should leave, leaving me, Chloe, and Michael in the room.

“And this Christopher is your foster parent?” She modded, lowering her eyes down to the floor, eyes tearing up.

I put my hands on her shoulders. “Chloe. I need to make a couple calls. Could you stay here with Michael? If I’m not back within two hours, then you can come find me okay?” She nodded, looking very unsure. I turned to Michael.

“Michael, I love you with all my heart. But I swear to God if this girl tells me you did or said anything to her that she found even the slightest bit uncomfortable, I’ll dump your ass, got it?” Michael simply nodded and grabbed my hand from where it was in front of his face.

“Colin, I swear on my love for you that nothing bad will happen to this girl as long as I’m near her, okay? Go make your calls, we’ll be fine.” He kissed my hand and shooed me away. I left to go set some things right.


	5. Michael and Chloe

Michael’s POV

Colin left the room, breathing heavily, obviously trying to control his anger. I was impressed that he had the control to not just punch the desk, something I suspect he would’ve done had Chloe not been in the room.

Chloe and I just stared at each other awkwardly. Her eyes kept flicking over to the corner of the room every few seconds. I glanced over myself, trying to figure out what she was looking at. I saw the clock, slowly ticking, and smiled, understanding what was going on.

“Do you want me to put a timer on so that we don’t miss the two hour mark?” She nodded, looking extremely grateful. I pulled a timer up on my phone, but realized some time had already passed since he left. “Do you know how long it’s been?”

“We have an hour, 56 minutes and 26...25...24...23...22...”

“We’ll say an hour and 55 minutes.” I figured that she would appreciate the rounding down. She smiled slightly, nodding in agreement. I set the timer, and we sat in silence for a little bit.

“Can I ask you a question?” She asked in a small voice. I had been working on a cold open sketch. I clicked Save and closed the laptop.

“Of course. Anything you need.”

“Are you and my brother...I mean he said he loved you...” She stumbled over words, obviously not wanting to seem pushy or nosy. I nodded at her.

“We are engaged.” I smiled at the memory of the proposal. She nodded, thinking about something, though I had no idea what about. Just as I was about to open my laptop again, she spoke up again.

“Is he happy?” I was a little surprised by the question, but I guess I shouldn’t have been. It was obvious that they cared a lot about each other. I wasn’t sure the way I should answer. He was happy. But what if she took that to mean he didn’t want her?

“Yeah. I think he is. But you know what?” She looked at me, waiting for me to answer my own question. “He’s gonna be a lot happier now that you’re here.”

“What do you mean? I have to go back to Christopher soon, or he’s going to beat me.”

I looked at her, shocked she hadn’t understood what was happening.  
“Chloe, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, are you a complete idiot? You can’t possibly think we’re gonna let you go back to some monster who’s beating you, do you?”

She looked at me utterly confused. “I have no where else to stay. What else was I supposed to think?”

I smiled, my heart going out to this girl. How little love was she getting? Couldn’t she comprehend that her brother loved her enough to protect her from that?

I got up and walked over to the couch where she was sitting. I crouched in front of her. “Hey, look at me.” I waited until she did so before continuing on. “Your brother loves you. I mean, it just radiates off of him. I love your brother more than anything, and therefore will do anything for anybody he cares about. This place is like a family, and is filled with kind, loving people, Trust me, you are going to have somewhere to live, with people who love you. You’re not going to be alone anymore okay?” She nodded and grabbed me, hugging me tightly as if I was going to try to run away. I hugged her back, rubbing her back, and trying to calm her down.

We stayed like that for awhile before she pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. I smiled at her softly, a smile that she returned.

“Hey, can I ask you another question? You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to.” She asked looking a little hesitant again.

“Of course, Chloe.”

“You can call me Chlo.”

“Okay, Chlo.”

“How’d you and my brother get together?”

I smiled and moved so that I was leaning on the couch sitting on the ground. I began telling her the story, also telling her about the proposal and our wedding plans.

Suddenly, Sucker by the Jonas Brothers burst out. We both jumped, startled. She looked confused. “The timer.” I explained, moving to turn it off. “Wanna go find your brother.”

“Yeah!” She said jumping up and heading over to the door. I chuckled and grabbed my phone, headed out of the door, Chloe trotting behind me.

We found Colin screaming into the phone in the writers room. I looked at Chlo, putting my finger over my lips. She nodded.

I snuck up behind Colin, who was facing away from us. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my lips to his neck. He jumped and whirled around still screaming into the phone. When he saw that it was me he relaxed, leaning into me as he continued to scream into the phone.

“WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR REASON!....WELL IF YOU NEED PROOF GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!... THERE IS NO WAY SHE’S GOING BACK TO THAT BASTARD!...JUST GET A DAMN CPS OFFICER DOWN HERE!” With that he hung up and threw the phone across the room. He leaned into me, throwing his arms around my neck. He was breathing heavily and shaking slightly. I gestured with my head for Chlo to sit down in one of the chairs. She nodded, not looking away as she did so.

I turned my attention back to Colin, who had started to cry a little. I ran my hands through his hair as I whispered softly in his ear. “It’s okay. We’re going to figure something out. She’s safe. We’ve got her.”

He nodded into my shoulder, and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. We stayed like that until we heard a knock on the door. Chloe, being the only one of us facing the door saw who was there first, and gasped, visibly frightened. I turned my head, and the sight that greeted me was frankly disgusting. It was a man, a little taller than me, with overgrown hair and a beard with food in it. He was wearing a stained unbuttoned plaid shirt, with a stained white tank top underneath. He had ratty jeans and shoes that made me want to puke. You could smell the sweat and alcohol on him from across the room. I had no doubt in my mind that this was Christopher.

“Chloe, get behind me and Colin.” I said eyes never leaving the bastard’s face. Colin shifted so the we were both fully facing Christopher, one arm behind himself to protect Chloe better.

“Chloe, get your damn ass over here. You’re in big trouble when we get home.” Christopher said, his words slurring.

“There is no way she’s going home with you.” Colin spoke up, an anger in his voice I had never heard before.

Behind us, Chloe whimpered. I slowly pulled my phone out of my pocket and held it out until I felt her take it. With my fingers, I flashed 9-1-1 over and over, hoping she’d get the hint. I heard her talking quietly into the phone and spoke louder so that Christopher wouldn’t.

“He’s right. She told us what you’ve done. You’re going to jail, you messed up piece of shit.” I felt Chloe put my phone back in my hand and gave her a thumbs up.

I heard sirens in the distance. Good thing we were so close to the police station. I wasn’t sure how long before this started to get violent.

The sirens got closer, until they eventually stopped in front of the building. I smirked at him, holding my hands out, one for Colin and one for Chlo. “See ya at the trial.”

At that, I turned to Colin, smiling at him. He smiled gratefully at me. “I love you so much.” I grinned and kissed him on the lips. “I love you too, babe.” We both turned to Chlo, who was sobbing at this point. I stepped back, letting them have their moment, and instead went to talk to the policemen.

Just as I was finishing up my statement for the police, Colin and Chlo walked over to me, grinning.

“What’s up?” I asked, not wanting to guess in case I was wrong.

“Chlo’s going to be staying with us. The CPS guy finally came and said we could take her tonight and they’d come by tomorrow for all the official stuff.” Colin grinned up at me, and I couldn’t help but grin back. I hugged him, and turned to Chloe about to offer her a hug too. However, Chloe was standing to the side, rubbing her arm, biting her lip, and looking generally uncomfortable.

“You okay, Chloe?” I asked, concerned, wondering if this was all happening too fast. I mean she met her brother, realized he had a boyfriend, go to know the boyfriend, got safe, saw her foster father, called 9-1-1, and then was told that she was going to live with her brother.

“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just...” She trailed off, looking nervous.

“What’s up, Chlo?” Colin asked, looking concerned.

“Are you sure you actually want to take care of me? I mean, I’m going to cost you guys money, and NYC isn’t cheap.”

Colin and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“What?” Chloe asked looking extremely confused.

“Do you know where we are? We work at SNL! Between the two of us, we make about 40,000 dollars a week! Trust me, I think we can afford to take you on.”

“What’s SNL?” At that everyone in the room, including police officers, turned and stared at her.

I laughed. “It’s a comedy show. Watch some clips on YouTube.”

She shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t have a computer.”

“That’s fine, we’ll get you one. Until then, you can watch it on your phone as well.”

“Don’t have that either.”

“Colin, come on! This girl needs a phone!!”

And with that, the three of us walked out a family, bickering about what the first apps she should download should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I keep writing, or just leave it at that? Let me know!


	6. CPS

Colin’s POV

I walked away, needing to get out of the room before I punched the desk. I didn’t want to scare Chlo, after all, she’d already been around so much violence.

I looked up the number for the CPS office in the city. I dialed the number, pacing the room as I waited for somebody to pick up. I could only imagine the awkwardness going on on my office.

“Hello, this Child Protective Services. If you need to speak to a representative, press one. If you need to.-“ I cut the robot’s voice off, angrily pressing one. I was put on hold, a monologue playing about how it was important I stay on the line. I wanted to scream at the lady’s calm voice. Didn’t she know I knew it was important? My sister was getting beat by a fucking maniac.

I took deep breathes, trying to do what I think Kate or Michael would tell me to do. They were always so much calmer than me. I never would’ve survived my job if not for them.

I managed to calm down a little bit, remembering happy moments, like the engagement. But my mind wondered back to Chloe. What had that poor girl gone though since I had abandoned her? I hated myself in that moment. How could I claim to love her? She needed me, and I let her down. The logical part of my mind told me I was wrong, that I couldn’t have known, but my logical mind wasn’t exactly running the party at this point.

Someone picked up the call. “Hello, this is Sara. How can I help you?”

“My sister, Chloe Scott, is getting beat by her foster parent. I need you to arrest him and give me custody.” There was clicking on the other side of the phone.

“You’re reporting abuse?”

I rolled my eyes, getting frustrated. “Yes, that is what I said.”

“What’s your name and relation to the victim?”

“Are you kidding me! I’m Colin Jost, and as I said earlier she’s my sister!”

“What’s the foster parents name?”

“Finally we’re getting somewhere!! His name is Christopher Grant.”

“Address of the offender?”

“I don’t know, but Chloe’s with me. I can give you our address.”

“I’m sorry sir, in order for me to be able to do anything, I need the foster parent’s address.”

“I don’t have it! Come here and take Chloe’s statement if you need it.”

“I can’t do that sir.”

“Why don’t you look him up in the computer! I’m telling you that he’s beating her!”

“I’m not authorized to do that sir.” This conversation continued, me getting more and more angry. I needed Chloe to be safe and this bitch Sara wouldn’t send a car over here!

Suddenly I felt hands wrapping around my body. I was already going back into a piece of my mind I didn’t like to be in. I felt lips against my neck, and whirled around, ready to kick and scream. When I saw Michael’s concerned face looking back at me, I slumped into him, no longer containing the energy to both yell and support myself.

“WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR REASON!”

“Sir, I told you her social worker is on a different case today. Unless you can provide proof, I can’t do anything for you today.”

“WELL IF YOU NEED PROOF GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!”

“Sir, I can’t do that. She has to go back for today. We’ll get it taken care of tomorrow.”

“THERE IS NO WAY SHE’S GOING BACK TO THAT BASTARD!”

“Sir, I need proof-“

“JUST GET A DAMN CPS OFFICER DOWN HERE!”

I hung up and threw my arms around Michael’s neck, needing comfort. I could hear shuffling behind me, but didn’t have the energy to see what was happening. 

I could feel my body shaking, and could hear my crying, but it didn’t feel like I was experiencing it. All I felt was Michael’s hands in my hair, his voice in my ear. “It’s okay. We’re going to figure something out. She’s safe. We’ve got her.”

I nodded, although I’m not sure whether I was agreeing with him or convincing myself. I burrowed my face in his neck. I had just calmed down when I heard a knock on the door. I heard Chloe gasp and looked up.

In front of me I saw who I could only assume was the dirtbag known as Christopher. He looked like your average drunk, with stained, ratty clothes. He smelled of sweat and alcohol. I mean, he wasn’t even trying to pretend.

“Chloe, get behind me and Colin.” I heard Michael say. I shifted so that we formed a barrier between her and Christopher. I put one hand behind me, and felt her tap my hand. One tap, pause, three, pause, seven. Our old signal from when we were younger. Danger. Well, now I knew for certain who this man was.

“Chloe, get your damn ass over here. You’re in big trouble when we get home.” Christopher said. He sounded like he was drunk.

“There is no way she’s going home with you.” I spoke up, feeling anger I hadn’t felt in a long time, the feeling of protectiveness flooding through me.

Behind us, Chloe whimpered. I saw Michael pull out his phone and hand it to Chloe. He flashed 9-1-1 to her and I understood. I turned back to Christopher, trying to think of a way to distract him as I heard Chloe talking softly on the phone.

“He’s right. She told us what you’ve done. You’re going to jail, you messed up piece of shit.” Michael spoke up, turning Christopher’s attention toward him as Chloe finished up the call.

I heard distant sirens and prayed to God that they got here before anything else happened. I wasn’t convinced this wouldn’t turn violent. 

The sirens got closer, until they eventually stopped in front of the building. Michael smirked at him, holding his hands hands out. I took one and Chlo took the other. “See ya at the trial.” Michael said, smugness evident in his voice. We turned and looked at each other, unable to help the grins on our faces.

“I love you so much.” Michael smiled warmly and kissed me on the lips.

“I love you too, babe.” We both turned to Chlo, who was sobbing at this point. 

I smiled at her and she smiled back. I pulled her into a hug, and we stood like that for awhile.

Eventually I pulled back, needing to talk to her. “ Chlo, you know Christopher’s going to jail right?” She nodded, looking uncertain as to where this was going. “You’re going to need a new foster parent.” She looked down at the ground, looking sad and resigned. “Hey, hey look at me.” I waited until she had done so before continuing.  
“I was hoping that maybe you might want to live with Michael and I. Of course, I’d have to talk to CPS, but I think I could get it worked out. But, if you don’t want to, I’m sure I could find you a nice family where you could be happy, and I could check up on you. It’s up to you, what do you want to do?”

She looked up at me, looking hopeful. “You mean I could live with you?” I nodded, smiling softly.

Before she could give me the final answer, CPS worker came over.

“Oh, so now one of you show up?” I said, annoyed.

“Sir could I talk to you?” He asked, looking a little confused and very tired.

“Yes you may.” I turned to Chlo and asked her whether she could sit on the couch for 5 minutes. She nodded and walked uncertainly away.

“You are her brother, correct?” He asked me, getting out a couple pieces of paperwork.

“Yes, that’s me. Why?”

“We did a background check on you. You have no charges, you have a steady living place and income. You obviously very much about the girl, and she had no home anymore. We were hoping you’d be willing to take her in.”

I stared at him incredulously for a few moments. Then I rolled my eyes. “Yes, more than willing, believe you me.”

“Great. I need you to fill these out. We’ll come back tomorrow for the official paperwork, house examination, things like that.”

I filled out the paperwork quickly, then went back to Chlo.

“Well, shall we go home, young lady?” She smiled and we walked over to Michael, who was finishing his statement for the police.

“What’s up?” He asked, greeting us with a wave and a smile.

“Chlo’s going to be staying with us. The CPS guy finally came and said we could take her tonight and they’d come by tomorrow for all the official stuff.” I grinned up at him, and he couldn’t help but grin back. We hugged each other, then he turned to Chloe to offer her a hug too. However, Chloe was standing to the side, looking generally uncomfortable. I was beginning to notice that this was her default setting and made a mental note to change that.

“You okay, Chloe?” Michael asked, concerned. He was probably wondering if this was all happening too fast, and I was right there next to him. Neither of us were expecting the answer we got.

“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just...” She trailed off, looking nervous.

“What’s up, Chlo?” I asked, concerned. What if she didn’t actually want to live with us?

“Are you sure you actually want to take care of me? I mean, I’m going to cost you guys money, and NYC isn’t cheap.”

Michael and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“What?” Chloe asked looking extremely confused.

“Do you know where we are? We work at SNL! Between the two of us, we make about 40,000 dollars a week! Trust me, I think we can afford to take you on.”

“What’s SNL?” At that everyone in the room, including police officers, turned and stared at her.

Michael simply laughed and explained. “It’s a comedy show. Watch some clips on YouTube.”

She shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t have a computer.”

“That’s fine, we’ll get you one. Until then, you can watch it on your phone as well.”

“Don’t have that either.”

“Colin, come on! This girl needs a phone!!”

And with that, the three of us walked out a family, bickering about what the first apps she should download should be. And oh what a happy family we were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven’t posted in awhile, so sorry. I’ll try to have new stuff every week from now on, but I make no promises. The angst levels are gonna get high, but so will the fluff levels.


End file.
